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If you haven't yet had a chance to complete the Kōkua Mau survey, please take a few minutes to do so. We value your input and want to use it to continuously better serve our community. If you have already completed it, mahalo nui loa. The Kokua Mau Survey. Please join us for the last Kōkua Mau meeting of the year on Thursday December 4 when Robert Eubanks from HMSA will be giving us an update on Supportive Care and the ACP Decisions videos. And save Sat. Jan. 17 in the afternoon for the Kōkua Mau Holiday party - in time for Asian New Year! |
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Thur. 12/4 Kōkua Mau Meeting - ACP videos
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Our last 2014 meeting : Thursday, December 4 from 3-5pm.
Robert Eubanks will be giving updates from HMSA's supportive care program and the ACP Decisions videos project.
There will be real coffee and refreshments as well.
You can read more about these short videos at acpdecisions.org and contact Robert Eubanks at HMSA if you are interested in getting the videos for your facility. HMSA is paying for the license for facilities across the state so there is no cost to you. |
PBS Hawaii: End of Life Issues
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Our local PBS Hawaii station as part of their "Insights" series had a special on improving care at the end of life featuring Kōkua Mau's own Dr. Rae Seitz and Lori Protzman. You can watch the show on YouTube. |
12/11 Mits Aoki's 100th birthday remembrance dinner
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In remembrance of Reverend Mitsuo Aoki's 100th birthday, a special dinner event will be held on December 11, 2014. This celebration will offer an opportunity to share how Reverend Aoki's teachings and life influenced each of us with his light, love, and wisdom. Limited by the room size please respond as soon as possible to gamblea002@hawaii.rr.com if you are interested in attending and how many people are in your party. Organized by the Mits Aoki Legacy Foundation. |
| How to cope with grief and loss during the holiday season |
NHPCO has released resources - both text and video - about how to cope with grief and loss during the holiday season. Hospice professionals offer eight tips to help someone grieving during the holidays, as well as a video entitled "Grief - A Part of Living." See the NHPCO press release or watch the YouTube movie. |
Eldercare benefits for workers
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An aging population is prompting more employers to offer their workers eldercare benefits. In order to attract workers who may be caring for their elderly parents, some employers are offering coverage that allows their workers to care for elderly parents without being penalized in the workplace. (The Washington Post, 11/16/14) |
| Have heard of the FICA Spiritual History Tool? |
The FICA Spiritual History Tool© (Faith, Importance/Influence, Community, Action/Address in care) presents one approach to taking a spiritual history.
Spirituality is defined as "the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred". Taking a spiritual history is an important patient assessment skill and most American patients report they want medical professionals to be aware of the importance of religion or spirituality to them. More at Fast Fact #19. |
Resources for the Holidays
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Have you had the conversation? As the holiday season approaches, we encourage you to think about your own family and loved ones, making sure that you have had conversations about care at the end of life. We know these can be difficult conversations, but they are some of the most important that you will have. Having loved ones in town is a good opportunity for everyone to get on the same page and to support the on-site caregivers.
Not sure where to start? There are good resources out there to help, including materials from Kōkua Mau.
Does everyone over 18 in your ohana have an Advance Directive? You can download our free version from the Kōkua Mau website (and save up to $350 in lawyer's fees.)
Do your loved ones with serious illness have a POLST? You can download the Consumer Guide and POLST forms from our website.
Do you have questions about CPR, Tube Feeding and other decisions. We have tools to help you think through these issues.
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The Conversation Project
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Need some help in figuring out how to begin the conversation? Download the free Starter Kit from the Conversation Project to help get your thoughts together. Other resources from The Conversation Project:
Ellen Goodman, co-founder of The Conversation Project, gave a wonderful TEDx talk at iconic Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. "A Good Death or a Hard One--Let's Talk" drew a full house. She talked about the importance of having the conversation, and how close we are to changing the cultural norm from not talking about death and end-of-life care, to talking about it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbWcLYOniWU
Share your story!! Everyone has a story. About losing someone close. About what it was like to have the conversation. About not talking about end-of-life care wishes until it was too late.
No matter what your story, they invite you to share it on the interactive "Your Story" feature on The Conversation Project's website. After all, your story could help someone else facing a similar situation.
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Prepare for Your Care
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Looking for an easy on-line guide (with large print)? The PREPARE website is designed to help people and their loved ones prepare for medical decision making. https://www.prepareforyourcare.org
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Leveraging the New IOM Report
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Web Conference Briefing: The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) hosted a very interesting and informative web conference on Oct. 28, with Diane E. Meier, MD, one of the nation's leaders in palliative care. She discussed the Institute of Medicine's latest report in depth and presented the report in a practical and action-oriented way. The full presentation and slide deck used are currently available for free download. It is interesting to see how many of the IOM report's recommendations we are working on in Hawaii.
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| Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End |
In his bestselling books, Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon, has fearlessly revealed the struggles of his profession. Now he examines its ultimate limitations and failures - in his own practices as well as others' - as life draws to a close. And he discovers how we can do better. |
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Best wishes,
Jeannette Koijane
Executive Director
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Join Kōkua Mau as a members now for 2014!
Membership is the backbone of Kōkua Mau's budget and helps us to be a financially sustainable organization. Just follow the steps outlined on our website. |
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